Country Gardens is one of my favorite magazines, and it's always a happy day when this publication lands in my mailbox. The Fall 2013 issue is a great one, with some unique new ideas on decorating with pumpkins that you fall lovers should really check out for autumnal tea tables!
But what most intrigued me in this issue was the feature on antique cider pitchers. Frankly, I'd never heard of cider pitchers, but I *had* seen these short, squatty pitchers in antique malls and wondered what they were for. Now I know! Writer Tovah Martin says, "Unlike relatively tall and svelte lemonade pitchers, the cider-holding version is typically short and rotund — shaped somewhat like a teapot but with a wider mouth and without the lid."
The article features collector Conni Cross (who seems anything but cross!) and tells how she came to acquire so many of these pitchers that for the past 20 years, when she uses them at Thanksgiving she's never had to use the same one twice. I also like what the article says about the history of these wares: "Cider pitchers were part of a phenomenon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries known as 'home art,' in which undecorated ceramics were marked on the bottom with a stamp from the manufacturer … and then sent to factories or individuals to be hand-painted by 'paintresses.' Although men were also porcelain painters, it was one of the few careers open to women at the time." I think we'd all probably agree that these "paintresses" did a lovely job. And now, of course, I'm hoping to score a cider pitcher for myself one day! Do any of you happen to own a cider pitcher?
Don't own one myself but have seen one...now I'm trying to remember if it was someone in my family or a close friend who had it...maybe my former mother-in-law? I didn't know what it was but now that I've seen those pictures, I do! We learn new things all the time. :-)
ReplyDeletei say ditto to all your words. When I opened the magazine during breakfast I thought - "I always wondered what those are" as I have seen them in antique malls too! I don't own one but think it would be nice to get one in fall colors for a fall table.
ReplyDeleteI learned something new today but don't believe I have a cider pitcher myself. Friends have one and fill it with their homemade wine to put on the table.
ReplyDeleteJudith
Very interesting! I wonder if it was used to serve hard cider? I know that it was an important way of preserving fruits.
ReplyDeleteAgain you have introduced me to something new. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI don't, but now I want one. They are beautiful. Oh Tovah Martin, didn't she use to be involved with the old Victoria?
ReplyDeleteYes, Tovah Martin was in the old Victoria mags.
ReplyDeleteI know this woman! She lives not far from here. She is a mastertful, creative gardener for a living. She plants magnificent gardens. Been to her property on a garden tour and our next door neighbor uses her which means I get to look out at a lovely garden. Small world.
Never knew about these so fun, once again, to learn something new.
Thank you, Angela~from Long Island, Ruthie
I never heard of a Cider pitcher,I will now be on the look for one!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! I ponder whether or not this was utilized to serve challenging cider? I am aware that it was an essential strategy for conserving fruits. Fox Tail Butt Plug
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